Der geteilte Visconte

Italo Calvino is one of the last great magicians of European literature. This wonderful novel, like "The Baron in the Trees" and "The Nonexistent Knight," belongs to the fairy tale novels of Italo Calvino. It ironically tells the story of the conflict between two souls in one breast and the necessary blend of wickedness and goodness. With only one eye, one ear, half a mouth, one arm, and one leg, Medardo di Terralba returns home from the Turkish wars to rule in a cruel manner. When his evil half falls in a despicable way for the beautiful shepherdess Pamela, a doppelgänger suddenly appears: the good Medardo. A duel ensues between the two halves.